Drake named a top 200 school, and #1 in Iowa for “Best Value School” Drake University was once again ranked among the top 200 best colleges in the nation — this time in the U.S. News and World Report national university rankings, competing against the largest universities in the country. The news comes just weeks after receiving similar accolades from The Wall Street Journal’s 2025 College Pulse Ranking. U.S. News also ranked Drake as the #1 private school in Iowa within its national university rankings. According to the U.S. News national university ranking methodology*, Drake also secured high marks in several...
Drake Welcomes the Most Diverse Entering Student Class in University History
Highest percentage of diversity, first-generation, and Pell-eligible students on record As students across the country settle into a new school year, Drake University is welcoming new undergraduate students to campus — and it is the most diverse group of students in the University’s 143-year history. The University is proud to report the diversity of the new undergraduate student population is 37.4%. This includes entering first-year (EFR) and transfer students seeking bachelor’s degrees at Drake as well as first-year and transfer students seeking associate degrees from Drake’s John Dee Bright College. Specifically, the diversity of EFR students joining Drake is 35.3%,...
The Wall Street Journal ranks Drake University as #1 Private School in Iowa
Return on investment of a Drake education among top 3 percent in the nation Drake University was ranked the top private school in Iowa for the second year in a row and among the top 200 best colleges in the U.S. by The Wall Street Journal’s 2025 College Pulse Rankings. Among all Iowa schools, Drake ranked highest in Salary Impact Score (a rating of graduate salaries relative to the cost of attending), as well as the Value Added to Graduate Salary score (value added to graduates’ median salary attributable to attending the college). These rankings from The Wall Street Journal...
Campus Network Interruption – Aug 14
ITS staff were completing work on the campus network in preparation for upcoming maintenance that inadvertently caused a brief interruption impacting both wired and wireless connections. We realized the issue quickly and were able to restore service within less than ten minutes. All network connectivity should be back to normal. If you’re experiencing technology issues, contact the ITS Support Center for help by visiting service.drake.edu/its, calling 515-271-3001, or visiting the lower level of Carnegie Hall. To receive ITS news posts via email, opt in by completing this form.
Law School News
Drake University Law School Named to The Princeton Review List of “Best Law Schools for 2025”
Drake University Law School has been named a Best Law Schools for 2025 by The Princeton Review. The education services company recently released their annual unranked list of outstanding law schools across the country. The list features the company’s detailed profiles of the schools with The Princeton Review’s ratings of them and quotes from students attending the schools whom The Princeton Review surveyed. Drake earned a score of 86 for overall academic experience, 94 for interesting professors, 94 for accessible professors, and 86 for career services. (The ratings are scores of 60 to 99 the company reports in up...
Power Outage – Thu 8/7/25
ITS staff became aware of a power outage around 10 p.m. last night impacting the Dial Center and causing numerous ITS services to be unavailable. FPM staff were able to restore power to the building so ITS staff could begin restarting services. Impacted systems included the drake.edu website, Banner, Self Service, eTranscripts, ProcessMaker, TouchNet, and eAccounts. All services were restored overnight and are running normally. If you’re experiencing technology issues since services were restored, first try restarting your device and logging back in. If the issues persist, contact the ITS Support Center for help by submitting a ticket at service.drake.edu/its,...
Recent Changes to Microsoft Outlook Spam Filtering
Microsoft recently began moving suspicious emails to a “quarantine” area instead of users’ junk folders within Outlook. To view or release these messages, you’ll need to log in to a separate site at security.microsoft.com/quarantine. To simplify message management while still protecting you, ITS staff members are working to make adjustments to these new settings so that messages will once again be routed to your “junk” folder instead of the quarantine. We will continue to keep campus informed on whether a permanent fix can be applied. If you have questions or concerns, contact the ITS Support Center by submitting a ticket...
Law School Spotlights
Drake Law Student Spends Summer Interning with the FBI
Drake Law rising third-year student Anna Olson spent the summer interning with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Omaha, Nebraska. We asked Anna to tell us more about her experience: How did you learn about this internship and what was appealing to you about the opportunity?I learned about the FBI Honors Program in undergrad through a former FBI employee. She endorsed the program due to its competitiveness and because it provides students an opportunity to learn about the bureau. As cheesy as it may sound, I was initially interested because I grew up watching detective shows and true crime....
Spanish Immersion Camp Combines STEM, Culture, and Experiential Learning at Drake
This summer marked the sixth year of the St. Anthony Spanish Immersion Camp, a dynamic and engaging week-long experience for elementary students held in the Drake University School of Education’s (SOE) Collier-Scripps Hall. Led by long-time language educator Sra. Marisol Guerra, with the help of Sra. Elena Nebot, the camp welcomed 25–30 K–5 students from St. Anthony Catholic School and surrounding Des Moines communities. The annual event came together because Sra. Guerra was invited to serve as part of a Drake advisory committee and happened to teach all three of SOE Professor Tom Buckmiller’s children in her Spanish classes at...
Law School Spotlights
Student Attorney Finds Purpose Through Refugee Clinic
For John Danos, JD’25, working at the Drake Legal Clinic was more than an academic experience. It was a transformative journey that changed their life forever. As a student attorney in the Drake Legal Clinic’s Refugee Clinic, John represented a client over the course of three semesters, building a strong relationship with them and eventually securing a win for their case before the Omaha Immigration Court. The Clinic’s structure, which provides students with real clients and real cases, helped John develop practical legal skills far beyond classroom learning. “I’m really grateful that I was able to stay with the same...
Faculty and Staff AccomplishmentsOfficial News ReleasesSchool of Journalism and Mass Communication
Drake University’s Dr. Kelly Bruhn Inducted into PRSA College of Fellows
Dr. Kelly Bruhn, APR, Professor of Public Relations and Associate Dean of the Drake University School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC), has been inducted into the prestigious Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) College of Fellows. This honor is reserved for the nation’s most esteemed public relations professionals. Bruhn is now one of only four living PRSA Fellows in Iowa, and notably, all four share a strong connection to Drake University. This highlights the consistent excellence of Drake’s SJMC in cultivating ethical and expert communicators. The other living Iowa members of the College of Fellows are Kevin Waetke (Drake...
Windows Update Process Changing Thu., Aug. 17
To improve security and keep devices up to date, ITS staff are changing how Windows updates are installed on University-issued computers. Starting this Thursday, August 17, Windows updates will automatically install after 5 p.m. If a restart is needed, you’ll have one week to complete it. This change shortens the update window from 28 days to just 7, helping ensure devices stay secure with less user effort. Most updates won’t require a restart so you may not notice any difference, but when you do, the process should be smoother and more seamless. If you have questions or concerns about this...
Drake University Announces New Board of Trustee Chair; Appoints Four New Trustees
Drake University is pleased to announce that Paul Schickler has been appointed as the new Chair of Drake’s Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees also welcomes four new members: Cain Hayes, Craig Ibsen, Jeff Lorenzen and Alessa Quane. The incoming trustees were approved by the Board earlier this year and began their initial three-year term of service on July 1, 2025. “Continuing to elevate Drake’s position as a premier, national liberal arts institution requires bold vision and brilliant leadership. That is precisely what we are gaining with our new trustees and with Paul Schickler stepping into the role of...